Oscar Isaac Lands Lead In Coen Brothers 60s Folk Music Film

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar Isaac has landed the coveted lead role in the next film to be directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Inside Llewyn Davis, which is being made without a domestic distributor, focuses on the early folk music scene in Greenwich Village in the 60s. The Coens and their producing partner Scott Rudin are making it with only an alignment with Studio Canal, which will distribute in France and some other territories. The Coens wrote the script, and they have the usual number of stars lining up to play characters loosely based on folk singers like Dave Van Ronk and Tom Paxton. The brothers are also back in business with Rudin, their producing partner on the Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men and their last film, True Grit. Shooting will start early next year in New York.

Isaac is a fast rising actor who had a showy role in Drive and stars in the Madonna-directed W.E., is currently filming the Tony Gilroy-directed The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner. Since the Coens began casting, every actor in Hollywood has been chasing these parts, so this is a real coup for Isaac. He’s repped by UTA, Inspire Entertainment and SMGSB.